Labeled
by Kandell
Summary: AU! Katara is a singer who gets signed to Zuko's label, but she doesn't realize exactly what she's signed up for...From the author formerly known as zutarataang4eva.
1. Chapter 1

AU goodness! Katara (Kate Suthern) is a singer looking to get signed, Zuko (Zach Fiar) is the heir to Fire Nation records, Sokka (Shaun Suthern) is the overprotective brother, Aang (Aaron Ericson) is an activist that is trying to bring Fire Nation records down, and Toph (Tanya Belong) is Kate's cousin, also Aaron's girlfriend. Please review!!!!!

Chapter 1: When Dealing With the Devil…

Kate looked up at the beams of sun shining in through her window. For a moment she was disoriented, but she quickly remembered where she was. _I'm in L.A. I'm here!_ Excited, she tossed her blankets aside. She left her bedroom and went to the kitchen, where her cousin was already making breakfast.

"Morning, Kate," her cousin said, not turning around.

"I'll never know how you can cook without burning anything," Kate said. As her cousin, Tanya, turned, she smiled.

"I've got skills," she smirked. Tanya was a bit of a showoff, but she really deserved it. She was blind, but she still managed to do everything normal people could.

"So what's on the menu?" Kate sat down on a bar stool.

"Bacon and cheese omelets," Tanya replied as she lifted a frying pan to slide the food onto a plate. "My specialty."

"Your cooking is always so delicious," Kate smiled to her cousin. Tanya was younger than Kate, but Tanya's parents were rich and decided to buy a penthouse for their "Little Angel". They didn't really want to, but Tanya stood up to them and finally got her way. So now, at age nineteen, Tanya had everything she wanted. She had a great apartment, great friends, and a great boyfriend. Speaking of which-

The door opened.

"Hey Aaron," Tanya called. "We're in the kitchen!"

"We? You're not cheating on me are you?" he asked playfully.

"I'm sorry, but Ben and Jerry are just too irresistible," Tanya said in a fake-guilty voice. She tended to be a bit of a drama queen.

"Hey, Kate, right? Tanya's cousin from North Dakota?" Aaron asked, noticing Kate.

"That's me," she extended a hand. Aaron shook it.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

Aaron turned to Tanya and started a cryptic game of asking her to dinner, meanwhile Kate started to eat her breakfast. About halfway through her omelet realization crossed her face.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"7:32," Aaron replied.

"Crap! I'm late!" Kate took one last bite and sprinted to her room. She ripped open a box of clothes that she hadn't unpacked and rifled through the contents until she found a pair of stylishly worn jeans and a nice, blue empire-waisted halter-top. She opened another box and threw on a deep blue ribbon choker with a painted blue disc. Kate slipped on some matching blue ballet flats and grabbed her purse (blue, like everything else) and ran for the door.

"I've got an appointment, don't worry!" and she was out the door.

_Stupid elevator_, Kate thought as the small metal box slowly descended. _Three floors to go…two…one…_ When the doors _dinged_ open Kate rocketed out and through the lobby, scattering a few of the tenants who were in her way. She practically flew out of the door and to the curb, where she whistled for a taxi. The whistle was so shrill and earpiercing that several passersby clutched their ears, a few cars nearly ran into each other, and a cab glided to a stop right in front of her. Hopping in, she called out the address to the driver.

"6731 South 87th, and I'm in a hurry." The driver nodded, and the cab remerged with traffic and continued on its way. Kate leaned back in the seat to catch her breath. She had never been so stressed out in her life. Then again, she was only twenty-one, so there was hopefully a lot of time left.

As Kate started to settle, her cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"_Hey Kate, what's going on_?" it was her brother Shaun.

"Nothing much. I'm on my way to an appointment."

"_Appointment? Are you sick_?" Shaun sounded half worried, half annoyed.

"No, I'm fine. I'm on the job-hunt, remember?"

"_Oh, yeah, well, good luck_."

"Thanks, I'll need it. Oh, I've gotta go, I'm here," Kate said, noticing the taxi slow to a stop at the curb.

"_Alright, I'll talk to you later_."

"Bye," and she hung up. Kate reached into her purse and paid the driver before exiting the cab. Standing on the sidewalk, she looked up at the ominous building before her. Above the doors, in gold letters, read _Fire Nation Records_. Kate gulped, partially awed, partially excited, but mostly nervous. _This is it_ she thought, and took a step. Walking into the building, she noticed a neat desk, behind which sat a young woman. She wore pink everything, and if she hadn't been so nice, Kate would've thought something was seriously wrong.

"Hi, I'm Kate Suthern, I'm here for an appointment."

"Kate Suthern, Suthern," the lady murmured, looking at a list on her flat screen computer monitor. "Oh, here it is! Go right on up to mister Fiar's office, floor 9, you can't miss it."

"Thanks," and Kate headed to the elevator. The metal doors closed and she pushed the button for floor 9. The elevator ascended smoothly, and rather quickly, too. The doors glided open with a small, elegant chime, and Kate stepped out. Looking around, she saw another desk, this one with a black granite top, a cold looking young woman sat behind. It was the total opposite of the lobby. Kate walked up to the lady.

"Hi, I'm-"

"Kate Suthern, go right on in," the woman said in an extremely bored tone.

"O-okay, thanks," Kate turned to the right and saw a large, dark wooden door. She walked over to it and turned the handle. It swung open easily to reveal a very big office, decorated in red and gold, with a few black accents. The floor was solid wood, dark to match the door. The whole sight was rather breathtaking. To the left, a smaller door opened.

"I told you, I'm not giving him up that easily—Oh, hello. You must be Miss Suthern," the words came from the mouth of a very attractive man. He was tall, a whole head taller than Kate, with slightly long, black hair, amber eyes, and pale skin. He swung the door shut behind him and turned to face Kate completely. Kate noticed a small scar underneath his left eye.

"Yes, I have an appointment-" Kate started to say.

"I know. I'm Mr. Fiar. Owner of Fire Nation Records." He extended his hand. Kate took it and they shook.

"Now, you have a demo, I assume?" he asked.

"Yes," Kate reached into her purse and pulled out a CD. She handed it to Mr. Fiar with a shy smile. As soon as it had changed hands, Mr. Fiar walked over to a stereo that sat on the mantle and slid the disc in. The music started quickly, followed by Kate's voice.

_Don't feed me a line you got from your friends,_

_Don't tell me a lie just to save your skin,_

_Don't give me a smile you've given someone else,_

_Don't say "hi" just tell me where you've been,_

And then the music was stopped.

"I love it. It's angsty, it's bold, and it's just what I want. Are you okay with signing a contract right now?"

"Uh, y-yeah, sure," Kate was slightly shocked at his response. The track hadn't even gotten to the good part.

"Alright," Mr. Fiar pulled a contract out of a desk drawer. "You'll need to sign here, here and here." He indicated different lines.

"Um, I think I should read it first," Kate said slowly.

"Oh, it's nothing important, it just says that you'll work for us exclusively until your fifth album comes out, and then you'll have the choice to renew your contract or choose a different label."

"That's a lot of writing for such a simple agreement," Kate said warily.

"Oh, it's just lawyer mumbo jumbo. It's nothing that major," he smiled. That smile almost made Kate blush.

"Okay then," she took the pen he offered her and signed the indicated lines. "Thank you Mr. Fiar," she returned the pen.

"Called me Zach," he took the pen and smiled again. Now, I have some people you should meet and talk to, get to know, all that jazz. Can you meet with them tomorrow at ten am?"

"Y-yeah," Kate said.

"Excellent, I'll see you then."

Kate left the office and returned to the elevator, where she pushed the button for the main floor. For some reason she couldn't explain, she felt like she'd just signed away her soul.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the positive reviews!! I'll try to live up to the expectations!!! Now, on with the story!!

Chapter 2:

As Kate left the building, she had mixed feelings. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Tanya's number. It rang a few times before Tanya answered.

"_Hello_?"

"Hey Tanya, guess what-I got signed!" Kate exclaimed after she was out of the building and on the sidewalk.

"_Really? That's great!"_ Tanya said enthusiastically. "_So when are you going to start?"_

"I have to come back in tomorrow morning to meet some people. We should celebrate."

"_How about you, Aaron and I go to dinner tonight?"_

"That sounds great! I'll be home soon, and I can tell you more about it."

"_Sounds good! But I probably won't be home when you get back. Aaron and I are going shopping. But we'll definitely want to hear all about it!"_

"Okay, well, I've gotta get a cab, I'll talk to you later," Kate said as she looked down the street for an oncoming taxi. Even though this was L.A. taxis were pretty common in the downtown district.

"_Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye!"_ Tanya said, the last word partially a giggle, thanks to Aaron tickling her. Both of them hung up, and Kate whistled again, a little less desperate this time. A taxi came to a stop in front of her and she climbed in.

"24th and Harris, please," she said to the driver. He nodded and got back on the road.

The ride was rather uneventful, excluding the small bit of drama from the front seat when someone cut the driver off on the road. A few obscenities were uttered, well, more liked screamed, but it was short lived. As the cab came up to Tanya's apartment building, Kate paid the driver and exited the vehicle. She walked past the doorman who nodded and uttered a quiet "Ma'am" as she passed. She said hi to the doorman and entered the building. Walking through the lobby, she remembered she needed to check for mail.

"Excuse me, is there any mail for Kate Suthern or Tanya Belong?" she asked politely.

"Let me see. No, not today," the receptionist replied.

"Alright, thank you," Kate said sweetly. She continued to the elevator and proceeded to the top floor. As she dug the key out of her purse, she looked up as the quiet _ding_ announced that she had arrived. She entered the apartment and went to her room to unpack. She had to find something to wear for her meeting tomorrow! Entering her room, her eyes found the box she had grabbed her clothes out of for that morning. She picked up the box, walked to the bed, and started taking out clothes. The first few items she brought out weren't very promising. They were normal t-shirts. It was true that Kate had never been a girly girl, but now that she had a chance at becoming a major celebrity, she had to start being a girl. _I hope I don't change too much_ she thought to herself. Shaun, her brother, had always criticized celebrities for changing from their original images. Kate hoped she wouldn't be one of those people.

"Alright Kate," she said as looked up into a mirror on her dresser. "I promise you that I'm not going to change too much. I'm just going to be more of a girl." With that said, quite literally, she had a new excitement in her heart about her future. But as she unpacked her t-shirts, plain tank tops, and a very few shirts like the one she had on. The next box she chose didn't do much to help her. She found sweat pants, sports bras, sweaters, and plain jeans.

"Maybe I should've hung out with more girls," she said, scrutinizing her wardrobe. But then again, if she hadn't been around so many boys, she wouldn't be a black belt. She probably would have had a date to prom though. Oh well, no use dwelling on the past. Kate finished unpacking all of her clothes and surveyed them dismally. She would probably have to go shopping. But she decided to try to make do with what she had first. She threw together three possible outfits: a jean skirt with a tight purple tank top and a darker purple mini jacket, a pair of dark jeans and a blue long sleeve underneath a light blue t-shirt, and a purple and blue sundress with purple heels. Not much to work with, but she could pull it off. Kate glanced at the clock and noticed that it was 5:00, almost dinnertime. Almost on cue Tanya and Aaron walked through the door.

"So then I told him- Oh hey Kate, you need to tell us all about the interview!" Aaron said as he noticed Kate standing in the doorway to her bedroom.

"Well, there's not really much to say. I walked in, he played my demo, I signed a contract, and I'm meeting with more people from the company tomorrow," Kate said.

"Well, we have to go to dinner. My treat," Tanya said, putting her shopping bags on the floor.

"Alright, where to?" Aaron asked, clapping his hands together.

"Ooh, how about Golden Lotus? Their sesame chicken is to die for!" Tanya said, an excited look on her face.

"That sounds great!" Kate and Aaron said in unison. Within fifteen minutes the three were seated at their table. It helped to have very rich parents.

As Tanya, Aaron and Kate glanced around the restaurant, they could smell the food cooking. The restaurant was decorated in the fashion of ancient china, with golden dragons and lotus flowers all over. A waitress arrived to take their orders, and when it was Tanya's turn she ordered in Chinese. Kate and Aaron gave her surprised looks, which Tanya had expected.

"I'm being tutored by my friend Yule, her parents are Chinese and she's fluent," Tanya explained.

"Oh, I didn't know," Aaron said, slightly embarrassed. "So Kate, what label are you working for now?" Aaron reached to take a sip from his coke.

"Fire Nation Records," Kate said, smiling. Aaron responded by spewing his drink all over the floor beside him.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, I hope none of you readers mind, but I'm a MAJOR fan of akward moments, so I'm gonna put some in!

By the way, I'm going to start this chapter with Zuko's POV.

And if this chapter seems a little sexier than the other chapters, that's cuz Zuko's character is just like that.

Chapter 3:

Well I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised when Kate signed the contract so easily. Not many people are that trusting. Lucky for me I now have most of them signed. She has no idea what she's signed up for. I'm pretty lucky. Not in THAT way! In the contract she agreed to go to any and all events that I think would boost her publicity. And she also agreed to work with the material the producers from my company give her. It was almost too easy. Then again, I've learned to never underestimate anyone.

So anyway, after my meeting with her I had a quick meeting with my stylist team. Kate's pretty, but she's not quite what the company needs right now. We need a new Madonna figure. I hope this doesn't turn too ugly. Not many of my stars have taken their transformations well. Like Larry. He wanted to be a classical singer. We turned him into Lay-Z, the biggest rapper in the world! I've got a great vision for Kate. I'm thinking blue should be her signature color. It looks great on her. And that necklace she wore today was a really great signature piece. I'm thinking we'll change her name to Kat for the stage, and give her some bolder lyrics. I like the music style she has though. Pop rock is great to dance to.

So after my meeting, I was slightly exhausted. I've been having a lot of trouble with my sister recently. Azure's just too stupid to realize what she's doing. Or maybe she's too smart. I have a feeling that she's bringing bad attention on purpose. Oh well, I can deal with her.

Well once I got home, things got a lot better. May, my secretary, and I had a nice movie night. Then she stayed over. All in all it was a pretty good evening. I can't wait to see how the style team does…

Kate's POV

So I told Aaron and Tanya who signed me and Aaron totally flipped out!

"Fire Nation Records is notorious for scandals and controversial music! Not to mention Zach Fiar is one of the biggest womanizers in the country. He's worse than James Bond!" Aaron said, rather loudly.

"Aaron, if Kate wants to work for them I don't see what the big problem is," Tanya said.

"Zach didn't seem so bad. He seemed kind of nice, actually," I said, trying to defend my boss.

"Of course he seemed nice. That's how he lures people in. What kind of music were you signed for?"

"Well…I'm not sure," I said, feeling slightly foolish that I didn't read the contract.

"Did you sign a contract?" Aaron demanded.

"Uh, yeah," I admitted.

"Without reading it? What were you thinking?" Aaron practically yelled.

"Aaron, just drop it. It's Kate's life, okay? And besides, Fire Nation Records isn't that bad. I actually like some of their singers," Tanya intervened. I could've hugged her. Before Aaron could get another word out our food arrived. I munched on my orange chicken while mentally kicking the crap out of myself. How could I have been so stupid? I hoped that I would be able to straighten everything out the next day when I went in to meet the, what was it, style team? Oh crap. A style team meant only one thing. I was going to be made over. My mental smackdown only increased.

The rest of our meal passed in relative silence, despite Tanya's attempts to lighten the mood. I was so relieved when we got home and Tanya and Aaron said goodbye. I changed into my pajamas and flopped onto my bed. I picked up my cell phone, debating on whether or not to call my brother. I decided against it. I really wasn't in the mood to be yelled at. I grabbed my laptop and got on the web. I wanted to update my blog. I began typing about my day and all of the stuff that I was stressed out about. Even though I was pretty sure that no one ever read my blog, it still felt nice to vent about all of my frustrations. After I finished ranting, I shut off my laptop and went to bed. I had a good dream, surprisingly enough. It was me, on stage, singing my own songs. It was awesome, but then it took a major turn for the worse. The audience started laughing and I looked around and saw that I was on strings like a puppet. I looked up and saw Zach, smiling and laughing. I woke up immediately and was really wigged out. I looked at the clock, which read 6:30 am, and decided I might as well be up for the day. I went to the bathroom to take my shower, and once I was finished I threw on a jean skirt and a t-shirt. If I was going to be made over, I might as well be comfortable now. I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. I fixed up some scrambled eggs for myself since Tanya was still asleep, and then I flipped on the TV. I had half an hour until I needed to leave for Fire Nation Records.

As is custom, nothing was on the TV. Let me correct myself: nothing GOOD was on TV. So I decided I would do some window-shopping before leaving for my meeting. Tanya's building is conveniently located in the middle of a quaint little shopping area. Her street happens to house some very upscale clothing stores. So I soon found myself walking by window after window looking at designer dresses and jewelry. I wish I'd had more time so I could've gone in and looked through the clothes more in-depth. But pretty soon the half hour was up so I grabbed a taxi and was on my way to my meeting. I arrived there pretty quickly since the morning rush hour was over, and decided that Zach wouldn't mind if I was a little bit early. I got in the elevator and pushed the button to go up. When I reached his office, his secretary wasn't there. I figured she ran out for coffee or was looking through files or doing something else that secretaries tend to do. When I opened Zach's door I found that I was partially right. But instead of writing notes to executives or filing papers or getting coffee, she was making out with Zach, right on his desk.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I said, partially embarrassed, partially surprised, and partially upset. I wasn't quite sure why I was upset, but I figured it was to be expected when I walked in on something like this.

"Kate," Zach cleared his throat, pushing his secretary away slightly. "I believe you know May, my secretary."

"Kind of," I replied. May just gave me a cold glare. But hey, I wasn't going to apologize for walking in on them!

"Well, I believe you and I have a meeting with the style team," Zach said to me, straightening his black Armani suit. He turned to May in a very business-like manner. "We'll continue later."

May walked past me, glaring hate-daggers. I watched her leave, then turned back to Zach as he started talking.

"Kate, I'd like you to meet Sienna, our chief makeup consultant; Cory, our clothing consultant; and Isaac, our dietician." Each of the individuals waved as their name was called. Sienna was a pretty girl with chin-length brown hair brown eyes. Cory was a tall man wearing a very flamboyant suit of maroon and turquoise, and Isaac was a short, sort of plump man with grey hair. He had a cup of tea and a teapot on the table in front of him.

"Um, dietician?" I said.

"Yes, he's going to monitor what you eat to make sure you stay healthy. He might make a few adjustments to your diet, but don't worry, they'll be minor," Zach said. I gulped silently. My days of French fries and hohos were over.

"Alright team, Kate needs a new look that's fresh, fun and sexy," Zach said.

"Oh your skin is so perfect! Like a fresh canvas just waiting to be painted!" Sienna said. I hoped to god that she wasn't going to put me in some outlandish facepaint.

"Your skin tone looks fabulous with darker colors, but your eyes might pose a problem," Cory said. "You'll probably look the best in blue and purple."

I was slightly- no, not slightly- I was VERY scared about what these people were going to do with me.

"Mr. Fiar," Cory turned to Zach. "What kind of image is Miss Kate getting?" I turned as well, anxious to hear the reply.

"Modern Madonna." My spirit plummeted. This was not going to be fun at all.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't know if you guys noticed, but Sienna is Suki, Cory is Koh, and Isaac is Iroh. Thanks for the reviews, but I would love more! I really want to know your opinions on the story and how you would like it to go! Well, enough chit-chat, on with the chapter!

Chapter 4:

"Oh, I've got a meeting with Shakita. I'll see you all later. Have her ready by the time I get back," Zach said as he grabbed his briefcase and left his office.

The style team turned to me, inspiration lighting their eyes.

"Oh crap."

They practically pounced on me, Sienna finally winning and dragging me off to the elevator, the two men following behind. She pushed the button for the 3rd floor and the elevator slowly descended.

"Oh this is so exciting!" Sienna said, obviously thrilled.

"Oh yeah. I'm majorly ecstatic," I replied.

"Don't worry," Cory said. "You're safe in our hands." Yeah, sure.

We arrived on the 3rd floor, which was made up of several dressing room style rooms. There was already one with my name on it. I was ushered into my dressing room and forced into a salon chair and the three stylists began fighting over me again. Sienna won again. She began smearing foundation over my face, followed by a powder foundation and a light blush. Then she began working on my eyes. Dark blue, medium blue, and light blue shadow with navy eyeliner and black mascara. Then she painted my lips in a shimmery gloss. Sienna then stepped away so I could look in the mirror.

"Wow, I'm-"

"Dazzling!" Sienna finished for me. It wasn't quite the word I was looking for. I was going to say something along the lines of "different".

"My turn!" Cory shrieked, swatting away Isaac's hands.

"But I still have to do her hair!" Sienna whined.

"MY TURN!" Cory screamed, louder. For a guy he could go VERY high. I was surprised the mirror didn't crack.

Before any more protests could be made, Cory hauled me to my feet and dragged me off to another part of my dressing room. It was full of clothing, all on racks. It was also color-coordinated.

"Now, let's go with a dark blue," he mumbled, more to himself than anyone else. He pulled something off of a rack and shoved it in my hands. "Put this on." Then he went on to find something to match it. I looked at the hanger Cory had shoved into my hands. Dark blue shorts. Short shorts.

"Um, I don't think-"

"Don't think! Just dress!" Cory interrupted from a few racks away. I looked at the shorts in distaste, but I put them on anyway. Luckily I was wearing a skirt so I was able to slip the shorts on underneath and then take off the skirt without revealing anything. Not that the shorts didn't reveal enough already. They showed practically all of my thighs, and were really low cut. Luckily I have nice legs so it looked fine, but I personally didn't like the shorts. Cory popped up at the end of the row with his mouth hanging open.

"Oh my dear they look fabulous!" he said.

"I don't really like them," I said plainly.

"Oh it doesn't matter," Cory replied, shoving something else at me. "Put this on."

It was a matching dark blue corset top. I sighed, knowing I couldn't get out of this, and turned so I could change in relative privacy. Once dressed, Cory grabbed my arm and paraded me in front of the others.

"Ooh! That's so cute!" Sienna said. Isaac didn't really say anything, and for that I was glad.

"Now for the hair," Sienna insisted. She sat me down in the salon chair again and pulled out a curling iron, a straightener, a crimper, and several different kinds of gel. She stared at me for a while before deciding to straighten it first. My hair is naturally slightly curly and it has body, but the straightener made my hair stick straight, with hardly any body at all. Then she put in a bit of hair gel so my hair wouldn't puff up at all. After that, Sienna crimped sections of my hair and used hairspray to make sure my hair would stay that way. I looked in the mirror and my mouth fell open. I looked sexy! I mean, really sexy!

"All done," the team said in unison.

"And not a moment too soon!" Isaac said. "Mr. Fiar will be here in a few minutes. I suggest we continue to the photo shoot."

"Photo shoot?" I asked.

"Well we have to start hyping up your debut," Isaac said.

"Oh, okay." The three ushered me out of my dressing room and back to the elevator. We descended to the 2nd floor where there were fewer but much larger rooms full of camera equipment and props. One door was open. Inside, there was a photographer and a few lighting technicians. The set was a rainforest. Very exotic, and if you added me, it was all together feral. I was actually kind of excited. I'd never done this before, and I love trying new things. The photographer walked up to me.

"Hi, I'm Harry."

"Kate," I shook his hand.

"Alright, if you could just get on set," Harry said. I began walking toward the fake trees. Right then Zach walked in a door and ended up right in the middle of the jungle. He looked me up and down. That made me MAD. I charged at him, tackled him, but before I could get a word out, Harry was clicking away, taking pictures.

"That's perfect! Yeah, growl, look right into his eyes!" Harry called, totally into his job. I looked over at him, confused.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I think this might be the perfect cover for your CD," Harry said.

"Cover?" I squeaked.

"Yeah, it's perfect!" Harry said. I looked over at the stylists, who nodded in agreement. Then I looked at Zach who merely smirked at me. Then I realized why. When I tackled him I sort of ended up straddling him, and it probably looked very scandalous in the photos. I threw myself off of him, slightly horrified. Zach sat up and continued to smirk.

"I- uh-" The others continued to stare at me, waiting for me to continue. I actually couldn't.

so what did you think? Please please please please PLEASE review!


	5. Chapter 5

OMZ! I haven't updated this story in forever! But, I have good reason. Not only did my computer crash, completely erasing the stuff I had for this story, but then I have AP and honors classes, college admission process, AND I'm in the pre-production process of making a movie. Yipes! Anyway, sorry if I kept any of you hanging. So, without further ado, the fifth chapter of Labeled!!!!

I stood there, not moving, not speaking, for what seemed like forever. Isaac must have sensed my discomfort, because he piped up, turning to Cory.

"Maybe it's just me, but I think she needs some jewelry. Without accessories, the whole thing looks incomplete. The look is totally ruined," he said. Cory's face dropped about five feet, and he stared in horror at the fact that he hadn't gotten me blinged up.

"Harry, you can't use any of those pictures!!!" He screamed.

"But they're perfect," Harry protested.

"No, they aren't! There's no jewelry. Every pop star needs to have jewelry," Cory said.

"Wait, I'm not going to be a pop star. I thought I was going to be a more mellow kind of artist. You know, kinda Starbucks?" I said.

"Kat, your contract clearly said that you'd sing our songs, do our dances, and go to our parties and events," Zach smirked at me.

"But I-"

"But nothing. You signed, you're mine."

"But that's-"

"Oh, don't worry, you'll love it!!" Sienna said. "You'll get to go to parties, premieres, tours…you'll be on the A list!"

"I don't want to be on the A list, I just want to sing my songs," I said, shifting away from Zach and the others.

"You will sing songs. They just won't be one hundred percent yours," Cory chimed in.

"Speaking of songs, you have to go to the recording floor to meet with your writers. They already have some material for you, and we want to get a song out onto the local stations and iTunes as soon as possible," Zach said, checking his platinum and white gold Rolex. I'll admit that it looked really good with his Armani suit, but that's ALL I'll admit. I was beginning to see why Aaron hated this guy so much.

Quick as a wink, Zach had stepped next to me and was directing me forward, his right hand at the small of my back. I moved where Zach guided, and he led me to the elevator. I didn't pay attention to which button he pushed. I was too preoccupied with all of the events that had just taken place.

When the elevator stopped, Zach led me to down a hallway to a solid wooden door. He opened it and ushered me through into the room, where three people stood near a sound board. The first was a younger guy, the second a pretty young woman, and the third was an older looking man.

"Kat, this is your music team. Your composer, Marcus, your lyricist, Miranda, and your producer, Carl. We call him Boomy," Zach said.

"Boomy?" I asked.

"Long story," Zach replied. Marcus stepped up and extended his hand. I shook it, and Marcus began to speak.

"I make your music. Zach told me we're going for a pop, slightly rock sound, and I have a piece that should be perfect for your first single," Marcus said.

"I'm Miranda," the woman stepped forward and shook my hand. "I write your lyrics. I have a song prepared for you, and if all goes well we should be able to record it all today."

"And I'm Boomy!" the older man said. "I mix everything together, fix what needs to be fixed, that sort of thing."

"So, am I supposed to sing today?" I asked.

"Yep. Miranda, let her read the lyrics through, Marcus let her listen to the music, get comfortable with the beat. I'm just going to sit back and let you do you thing," Zach said.

I took the sheets of paper from Miranda and looked them over while Zach lounged on a nearby couch.

"Um…"

"Do you have a problem with the lyrics?" Zach cocked his head to the right.

"Well, it's just…I was planning on having a sort of…Coby Calais image, and these lyrics are…I mean, 'Morning, noon and all night long, I'm the girl you know you want'? It sounds-"

"Sexy?"

"I was going to say risqué."

"Kat," Zach stood and walked to stand next to, placing an arm around my shoulders, "You are going to be big. Bigger than big. You're going to be-"

"Larger than life," Miranda supplied.

"Precisely."

"I wrote that song for the Backroad Boys," Miranda whispered.

"Kat, you're going to be the girl that everyone wants to be or be with. Young girls will strive to look and act like you."

"Then shouldn't I be giving them a better image? I mean, shouldn't they want to be smart, confident, ambitious,-"

"You are all those things and more, Kat. You're the epitome of perfection. Attractive, sure of yourself, everyone wrapped up on every little word you say." Zach turned me to look into his eyes. "You are the ultimate role model. These lyrics are going to show girls that they can be in control, that they're wanted, _needed_, by others." He moved behind me, his chin resting on my shoulder as he turned me to look at the recording booth. "You're teaching future women to be empowered and take control of their relationships, both personally and professionally. Now are you ready to record a single?"

My voice was wistful as I pictured the image that Zach had painted. "Mmhmm."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Again, I haven't updated in a long, long time. Sorry!! I'm still getting into the swing of college life, but it's Thanksgiving today, so I'm writing this as a thank you to all my Zutara readers. I love you guys!!!! 3**

I had recorded that single. I wasn't proud of it…but sure enough, one week later it was all over the radio. The first time I heard it, the DJ introduced it as a "brand new hit from a brand new hottie". It was so weird to hear myself described like that. I was sitting at the bar counter in my apartment's kitchen when there was a knock on the door. I set my spoon back in my cereal bowl and hopped off the stool. I padded barefoot across the white tiles, out of the kitchen and to the door. As it swung open, my smile faded. There in the doorway stood, more leaned, I guess, Zach Fiar. He was wearing another black suit, definitely designer, without the jacket, and his hair swept across his eyes with Zac Efron flair. For a moment my stomach got all fluttery, but then I remembered who it was. To put it simply, this guy was a dick.

"Can I help you, Mister Fiar?" I stood with my hand firmly on the doorknob, my other hand on my hip. His eyes flicked up and down my body and I remembered I was wearing pajama shorts and a tank top. He smirked at my discomfort and swept right past me into my apartment.

"We're going shopping."

"What? When?" I turned to watch him, closing the door.

"Soon as you're ready."

"I haven't even showered," I crossed my arms.

Zach opened my refrigerator and scanned the contents, "I can wait." He grabbed a Caprisun, "You drink Caprisun?" I gaped at him. He glanced up to see me standing there, "Don't worry, I'll wait. You go get all wet and naked and I'll sit here with my juice." I stared as he jabbed the flimsy straw into the juice pack and sipped like a child. My eyes narrowed as my brow furrowed and I walked to the bathroom, shaking my head.

I emerged from my bedroom half an hour later to find Zach sitting on my counter, eating a stalk of celery. An open jar of peanut butter sat on the counter next to him.

"Please, make yourself at home," spilled out of my mouth.

"'Bout time," Zach hopped off the counter and turned to me. His eyes widened a bit, "You're going out like that?"

I looked down at my purple button-up, denim shorts and sneakers, and looked back at him, "Is there something wrong with the way I look?"

"Well…" he took a few hesitant steps toward me, "You're not wearing makeup, your hair isn't styled, and you're dressed like a seventh grader."

"Seventh grader? Sorry I'm not one of your constantly-coiffed, perpetually-primped show dogs." I crossed my arms.

Zach slid his hands into his pants pockets and mumbled, "Me too…" My jaw dropped, but he didn't notice and continued, "The car's waiting, let's go." He ushered me out of my apartment, much like he had led me to the recording floor, and we soon climbed into the backseat of a black Mercedes-Benz SUV.

"So where are you taking me?"

"We're getting you a dress."

"What for?"

"For the party."

"What party?"

"There's a party tonight for everyone who's anyone. And I'm taking you."

"Taking me? To a party? Why do I have to go?"

"Promotion," Zach explained. "We need to get you photographed with other celebrities. I'll be using tonight's party to find you some playmates."

"Playmates?!" I shrieked. I heard that term before and it was _never_ used in a socially appropriate way.

"It's what we call celebrity friends. All you do is get together every now and then and be seen eating lunch, going shopping, working out, all that jazz."

The car pulled to a stop, parked, and the chauffeur opened the door. Zach and I climbed out and found ourselves in front of a high class dress shop. The window displays boasted frocks by Armani, Versace, Chanel, and the like.

"Um…Aren't these all a bit pricey?"

"Yeah. So?" Zach was already at the door, walking in. "Don't just stand there, Kat." I shuffled into the store, my eyes panning the scene. Sparkles, glitter, big designers...And price tags to match. As I stood in my stupor, Zach strode to the counter and spoke to the saleswoman who nodded and went to the back room.

"What's up?" I stepped toward him.

"She's getting your dress."

"But I haven't tried any on."

"I took the liberty of picking. I knew your size and body type, so I had one custom designed."

"I swear to god, if it's skanky, I'm going to-"

"Here it is!" the saleswoman piped up. She had a snobby voice and held her chin too high.

"Thanks," I reached out to take the dress, but the woman was reluctant to let go. I tugged at it several times before she finally released it with a high-pitched whimper, turned on her heel and returned to the cash register. I looked at Zach, my face holding a what-is-her-problem expression. He shrugged.

"You need to go get ready. The car will take you to my place, your team is waiting."

When I got to Zach's house, I was assaulted by the makeup team with brushes, colors, curlers, hairspray, nail polish, and lotion. I think somewhere along the way I was touched inappropriately…but after a few hours, the sun was down and the team was done. Well, almost. Apparently in Hollywood, celebrities aren't allowed to dress themselves. But after a bit of squabbling and two women helping me dress, I was ready for my entrance. Which Zach apparently wanted to be momentous, because everyone else was already there. I reached the top of the steps, and everyone turned and stared…

AN: Oooh, a cliff-hanger! I'm sorry, I'm so mean to you guys, aren't I? I promise I'll be making more of an effort to update more regularly. And guess what? If you follow me on twitter *cough* /kschultze *cough* you'll be kept up-to-date on all my new chapters!!


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